


they were but circles of salt

by liveyourtemptation



Series: cisco ramon's interdimensional community network [5]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Heartbreak, M/M, Manipulation, Violence, Zombie AU, harry is a SOB, my personal love note to tess, penta saves the day a couple of times probably, this is very much a coming of age story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-11-06 20:45:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11043999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liveyourtemptation/pseuds/liveyourtemptation
Summary: But they get the sickness. Cisco is with them in the car when the first one, a tall, broad-shouldered woman, gets the eyes. It always starts with the eyes. They look so sad it makes Cisco want to cry.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> because of popular demand. don't tell me i didn't warn you, this is sad as heck.

_Dew-drinker, opium-eater,_ __  
_I have seen your mouth transfigured_ __  
_By the fragments of ancient fevers._ _  
_ _It was a wild, strange sound._

Bethany van Rijswijk, ‘Opium-eater’

 

 

 

_In this barren land a new god will rise._

 

The woman's voice comes from far away and very close to him at the same time. He is delirious. His head hurts, and when he opens his eyes his vision is blurry and he sees only moving figures around him. He knows his mother is here somewhere. Or she was here. She was just here.

 

_The righteous fire will cleanse this world._

 

It's always the sickness first. The other kids in his school got sick and then they never returned. No one knew where they were taken. They weren't in their homes anymore. But now the sick people don't get brought away anymore. There is no one to take them.

 

_On our ashes the golden kingdom will grow._

 

The woman is singing now. His mother has to be here. He tries to speak, to call out to her but his voice breaks. He needs to see her. Because he is sick now and he knows what that means. He needs to talk to her one last time. He tries to move. Someone lays a hand on his head but he doesn't recognize the blurry face over him. It's not his mother. It's the woman whose voice he has heard.

 

_Rest quiet now, my dear. You're almost there._

 

* * *

 

It used to be safer in the woods. But since those are crawling with sick ants nowadays who try to kill you with fiery bites Cisco stays out of the woods. Most kids on the street are his age, at least he'd guess. They don't talk about those kind of things. They hang around in smaller groups, looking for safety in numbers but also trying to stay under the radar, flexible, quick. The faces don't stay the same for very long. They drift, join other groups, disappear, get their faces eaten off by rats.

 

Cisco doesn't stay longer than two weeks with one group. He doesn't trust them. These ruins made the children of this city - - crazy. Cisco doesn't want to get involved with them too much. But he needs them to survive. He tried it on his own for a while, but here that's not possible.

 

There are constant fights. There are always two or more groups going against each other or people having arguments inside their own group. It's mostly about food or someone feeling insulted. Cisco knows how to throw a punch but he stays out of those fights as much as possible. He stays on the outskirts of this social construct, ignores their ranks and hierarchies and doesn't answer their war cries. He lives in their shadows. Following quietly behind them, tolerated but not accepted.

 

They think he is the craziest of all of them.

 

There aren't any adults here anymore. Well, there are a few children who have grown up but in this world that barely means nothing. With no one to compare themselves to, to aspire to, these children wake up one day to realize that they are taller than the others. Not much else has changed.

 

At first Cisco didn't understand how this could happen. He crawls out of his hiding in the woods, back to the city that birthed him to find a maze of ruins and at its center the place where it all started. But no one here is sick anymore. All the sick people, all the grown ups have died, or moved away. Left are only the children.

 

When he asks another boy about it he shows him his wrist. There is a mark on the inside of it, a series of stripes and dots, almost disappearing against his dark skin.

 

“We were vaccinated,” The boy says. “This is prove that we aren't dangerous. That we cannot infect anyone.”

 

“And why are there no sick people?” Cisco asks.

 

“It's all in the air around us,” The boy says. “They explained it to us. It's all in the air here so the sick ones die fast. I think there is something in there that makes new people sick.” He looks at the towering ruins over their heads. Then he turns to Cisco. “Where you vaccinated, too?”

 

“I don't remember anything,” Cisco lies. “But I had a mark like that. It got burned off.” He shows the boy his wrist where the sickness has marked his skin with deep scars.

 

The boy nods and seems satisfied.

 

* * *

 

He dreams about his family from time to time but they seem almost out of reach by now. As if he might forget them at any moment now. He guesses he won't be able to feel sad when he forgets.

 

At one point people came and he went with them. He shouldn't have. He didn't want to stay in the city where it all started, the city that is still infecting the world. He doesn't want to stay with those cruel children. So he goes with the strange people. They promise to take him to their base in the mountains.

 

But they get the sickness. Cisco is with them in the car when the first one, a tall, broad-shouldered woman, gets the eyes. It always starts with the eyes. They look so sad it makes Cisco want to cry. But he doesn't. He is frozen in shock. The woman looks at him through the rear view mirror and he knows she is sick. And all the other people around him probably, too.

 

When he crawls out of the wreckage of the car one man is trying to follow him. Cisco pushes his boot into his face, and then kicks until the man stops moving.

 

Cisco doesn't know where he is. He is on a street far far away from anywhere he has ever been.

 

* * *

 

She is a stark contrast against the sky. He blinks at her and tries to make out any of her features. She just ripped the tarp away under which he had been hiding to sleep. He pulls his knees to his chests in case he has to fight back.

 

“What are you doing there?” She asks, harsh voice accentuated by her snapping the tarp away completely.

 

Cisco mumbles something, still trying to come to his senses.

 

“Answer me,” She barks.

 

“Sleeping,” Cisco answers, truthfully.

 

“You can't sleep here,” She says.

 

By now Cisco is awake enough to sit up and bring some distance between himself and the strange woman. As she comes more into focus he looks her over. She doesn't appear to be sick; her eyes are burning with anger not sadness. Though he doesn't know why she is so freaking angry at him for sleeping here. She is tall, definitely taller than him. Her hair is a mess but practically short and her face betrays some sort of East Asian heritage.

 

“I don't have anything,” Cisco states, matter of fact.

 

“What?” She asks.

 

“I don't have anything you can take,” Cisco says.

 

She seems a bit thrown but recovers quickly. “I don't want to take anything from you,” She says. She puts her hands on her hips and surveys the surroundings. “This place doesn't provide enough cover. Let's move.”

 

Cisco gets on his feet only because he doesn't want to get yelled at again. He really has no reason to follow this woman. But he also hasn't eaten in a few days and she doesn't seem like she wants to harm him.

 

She leads them to an abandoned house a few miles up the street. It looks like she has been hiding out here for a while.

 

“You didn't check if I'm sick,” Cisco says while she turns on a rusty cooker.

 

“Are you sick?” She asks without looking up.

 

“No.”

 

She makes food. Nothing special, she just heats some premade broth. The soup is warm in Cisco's stomach. She has her face hanging deep over her own bowl the whole time.

 

“I'm Cisco,” He says when he has finished eating.

 

“Tess,” She replies.

 

* * *

 

After that it's him and Tess. He never asks if he should leave and she never sends him away. She is the first one to give him a gun. He learns shooting by sitting on rooftops in small towns with her for hours on end; she picking the targets and he trying to hit them. In the end he gets pretty good at it.

 

One thing that Tess drills in his head is that guns are for protection. If he is fighting for his life any measure is acceptable. But he should never hurt anyone out of anger or pride. Cisco understands.

 

It's weird. Cisco has never spend this much time with one person. Not recently. It seems Tess needs some getting used to it, too. But she is alright, as far as Cisco is concerned. She never tells him what to do. Sure, she'll teach him if he wants to learn something. But mostly they just kinda exist parallel to each other; going long stretches without even talking to each other. But he knows she always makes sure to check on him from time to time. It's maybe not that bad to have someone doing that.

 

* * *

 

It seems to get worse over the years. The sickness burns brighter and harder. Sometimes Cisco can still feel it under his skin. The sick are more volatile, stronger than they used to be. Cisco can see it in Tess' eyes that it isn't good. They are moving from hide out to hide out but at this pace they are going to fuck up soon. And it only takes one mistake.

 

“We're not going to make it on our own,” Tess says one evening. They are huddled together in an old jeep that they found on the side of the road. The nights are getting colder.

 

Cisco stays quiet. What is there to say?

 

“I know somewhere where we could go,” Tess says. “There are people in the mountains. They'll take us in.”

 

“Why didn't you go there before?” Cisco asks.

 

Tess is silent for a long time. Then she takes a deep breath. “I guess I wanted to be alone.”

 

“You're not alone,” Cisco says.

 

Tess looks at him and in the moonlight he sees her eyes crinkle. “Yeah, I know,” She says.

 

She pulls him closer and he falls asleep against her shoulder.

 

* * *

 

The wall is made of gray concrete. It had taken Tess and Cisco weeks to get up into the mountains. Now they are standing in front of a big gate, freezing in the snow. Cisco knows they are watching them. There is nothing much they can do except wait.

 

After an hour the gate opens. They are greeted by men and women with rifles over their shoulders. Behind the wall lies a big open area that is bustling with activity. Cisco can hardly take anything in before they are shuffled into a shack next to the gate. Suddenly he is being pricked with needles and someone tells him to open his mouth. He only stays calm because Tess has a hand on his back.

 

When it is clear that they aren't infected they are lead over the yard into the mountain. The corridors are brightly lit and cold. They get their own room. The woman that is showing them around suggest to Cisco that he could move into a room with other young men but he declines.

 

“We need every helping hand,” The woman who introduced herself as Gideon says. “Especially in the winter.”

 

“We'll help,” Tess says. Gideon gives her a look that Cisco doesn't understand.

 

“I hope we won't have any problems here,” Gideon says before she leaves their new room.

 

“We won't,” Tess says.

 

Cisco gives her a questioning look but Tess ignores it. For the first time Cisco wonders how she knew about this place.

 

* * *

 

Cisco is walking through the corridors towards the cafeteria when a young men catches up with him. He is dark skinned and a deep scar zig-zags over his whole face.

 

“Hey, newbie,” He calls out. “I'm Wally.”

 

“Cisco,” He replies and keeps walking.

 

“Hey, wait,” Wally says and catches him by the arm.

 

Cisco's sleeve rides up and Wally stares at the exposed skin. “Oh, god,” He says and shoves Cisco's arm away from him. “You - - You're - - How did they let you in?”

 

“I'm not,” Cisco says to Wally who is slowly inching away from him.

 

“Wait, I knew someone,” Wally says. “I knew someone with scars like that who wasn't sick. I didn't know what they meant back then of course.” They are starting to attract attention. People are forming a group around them. “But that was back in Central City. That crazy wolf kid.”

 

Cisco wants to get away but he is surrounded.

 

“You're him,” Wally says, recognition in his eyes, and points at Cisco. “He came out of the woods. Could barely speak.”

 

Everyone is staring at Cisco now. His face is burning He pushes through the crowd and everyone backs away from him.

 

* * *

 

They have names for him. He hears them talk behind his back, sees the look on their faces. _Disgusting. Wild. Crazy. Stupid. Sick. Sick. Sick. Sick- -_

 

Tess tells him to give it time. That they'll lose interest eventually. Cisco doesn't complain. But Tess has changed since they have come here. She often seems lost in thoughts. She doesn't mingle either. She is not around as much anymore. Cisco doesn't complain.

 

He has to train. Every person living on the base gets a basic fighting training. His instructor, Sara who is small for her strength, is ruthless with him. At first she tests how much he can do this far. He almost bites off her ear. Everyone else is outraged but she laughs loudly. Then she trains him. She doesn't pull any punches and Cisco likes her for it.

 

Though he is surrounded by more people than in a long time he feels lonelier than ever. He starts looking forward to Sara pinning him on the ground in a chokehold or hitting him repeatedly with sticks. He gets lost in the haze that is training his body, of pushing himself to his limits.

 

The evenings he spends alone most of the time, or with Tess if he can find her. Sometimes Sara invites him to drinks with her friends, most of them scavengers who trail the surrounding areas of the base for supplies and information. It's a rowdy bunch who drink much and smoke even more. But Cisco enjoys sitting with them, not saying anything himself, just listening to their stories.

 

* * *

 

He has to go to regular health check ups; more so than the others. They don't tell it to him outright but he thinks they are trying to find out what happened with him. He hates those check-ups. They guy that takes his blood samples wears latex gloves and doesn't look him in the eyes. His name is Hartley and he can't be much older than Cisco. He is in training with the medical staff, probably because he is a useless fighter, Cisco guesses. Hartley looks like a harsh breeze could knock him over.

 

One time he notices the marks where the glove has slipped from Hartley's wrist. “You're vaccinated,” He notes.

 

Hartley startles and it takes him a moment to follows Cisco's gaze to his wrist and make the connection. He quickly tucks the glove over them again. “Most of the children were,” He says.

 

“You're from there, too?”

 

“My parents brought me out of the city. Before they- -” Hartley stops himself and starts labeling Cisco's blood sample with attention. Cisco's lets it go.

 

* * *

 

A great source of distraction on the base is provided by the training instructors who let their protegees fight against each other. Sara doesn't ask him to do it for a long time. When they day finally comes he feels himself brimming with energy. He has been caged in this mountain for too long and he needs a release.

 

Tess isn't there.

 

The ring is nothing more but an empty room and a crowd. Of all the people Cisco has to fight against Wally. He is supposed to be the best.

 

Sara stops him before entering the room, holding him still by the shoulders. “Remember what I told you,” She says, searching for his eyes. “This is not a real fight. It's more about technique than about winning.”

 

“Of course it's about winning,” Cisco says toneless. “But I know what you mean.”

 

Sara huffs out a breath, a mix of exasperation and amusement, and lets him go. “Make me proud.”

 

Wally grins at him from the other side of the room. The scar doesn't really retract from his attractiveness. The crowd is cheering. Cisco knows that they are cheering for Wally. He doesn't care. He grins back.

 

* * *

 

“So, was that my initiation?” Cisco asks.

 

He's been told by Gideon to report to the gate at sunrise. He is shivering in the sharp autumn wind. Wally startles and turns to him.

 

“Aw, shit. Did no one ever tell you not to sneak up on people?”

 

“Sorry,” Cisco says toneless.

 

“What do you mean?” Wally asks and hands him a rifle.

 

“You beating the shit out of me?”

 

“Come on,” Wally smiles wide. “You were great. You lasted almost twenty minutes. Not many can say that.”

 

Cisco makes a show of rubbing his bruised arm. Wally rolls his eyes and motions for Cisco to follow him. There are at all times patrols on the wall surrounding the base. Now that Cisco's basic training is over he was asked to join the guards. He agreed. Wally is showing him around, introducing him to people, telling him about his tasks.

 

On top of the wall they lean against the bricks and look out over the treetops and the sloping hills.

 

“I'm sorry,” Wally says. “For how I reacted at the beginning. I didn't mean for it to - - get so out of hand.”

 

Cisco nods. He throws a glance to Wally. He had never made another comment about Cisco after his initial outburst. The atmosphere between them has shifted since the fight.

 

* * *

 

Since he is working regular shifts as a guard he is allowed to go outside of the wall. The first time he enters the woods that grow on the lower parts of the mountains he feels something swell inside of him. He climbs up a tree and just sits there for hours; watching the open sky.

 

It's getting warmer again. He is wandering, staring up to the tree crowns when he hears the cries of pain. The noises are muffled but loud enough that he can follow them.

 

He sees the man from a few yards away. He is lying on the ground, leg caught in some sort of trap. Cisco lingers behind a tree, watching him for a moment. He got his rifle slung over his shoulder but he hesitates. The man isn't sick.

 

“I can see you,” The man calls out through gritted teeth. “I could need a little bit of help here.”

 

Cisco takes another look around before stepping closer.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm painting this picture with very broad strokes because i have to cover a lot of times so let your fantasy fill in the gaps. 
> 
> soundtrack to this story is the mirel wagner's self-titled album.

It's a iron trap, the man's right lower leg firmly stuck inside. Cisco approaches him carefully. The man's mouth is a tight line, pain written across his face but he holds still. Cisco notices that he is armed, a single gun in a thigh holster. He kneels down next to the trap to inspect it.

 

“Can you open it?” The man asks. Cisco looks at him. He has dark tousled hair. A black shirt stretches over his chest. He is thin but Cisco can see the muscles work in his arm.

 

Cisco stands up.

 

“Hey, you can't leave me here,” The man yells after him, followed by a few grunts of pain. He probably tried to move.

 

Cisco returns with a thick branch that he uses as leverage. The trap opens with a loud creak and wet smack. The man whimpers and lets his head fall back. Cisco throws away the iron trap, letting it fall close somewhere in the woodwork. Then he turns to look at the man's leg.

 

It's not that bad. Not good either. But with good care it will heal alright. Cisco pulls out a knife and the man audibly startles. Cisco just throws him a look and cuts off the leg of the pants over the injury. Then he rips the fabric into stripes to wrap around the wound.

 

“This is just to stop the bleeding,” He says. “You'll need to disinfect it. And clean bandages.”

 

The man stays silent and when Cisco looks at him he huffs out a breath. “Disinfect. Clean bandages. You're funny.”

 

“Not particularly,” Cisco replies.

 

“Where do you think I'm going to get any of that?” The man asks, a deep hollow laugh erupting from him and making him wince in pain.

 

Cisco contemplates leaving.

 

“I need to get back to my camp,” The man says.

 

Cisco stands and offers his hand. The man takes it and Cisco pulls him up. He stands for a second before swaying. Cisco has to grab him to keep him from falling.

 

“Stupid,” Cisco says under his breath, both hands around his ribcage.

 

“What?” The man asks.

 

“You're stupid,” Cisco says louder. He pulls the man's arm around his shoulders. “You should watch where you're stepping.”

 

He senses the man struggling next to him, ragged breath and shaking hands. “I'll have to take that one, I guess,” He says to Cisco's surprise. Cisco looks at him. From this close he can see the crows feet around his eyes. “And thank you. For all this.” The man gestures around them with his free hand. “I am in your debt.”

 

“Where do you have to go?” Cisco asks.

 

* * *

 

He tells himself to stay away from the stranger in the woods. It's enough that he went back there a second time with medical supplies and patched him up.

 

It keeps nagging at his mind.

 

Tess is back from a trip. She looks exhausted and angry, even more so than usual. Cisco brings dinner to their room. She is lying on her bed, facing the wall. He sets down the tray on the desk and sits down at her side.

 

“Are you hungry?” He asks, after a minute of silence.

 

She turns to him then as if she is just realizing that he is even there. She smiles at him but he can only see the dark bags under her eyes. She looks like she has been crying.

 

“Hey there,” She says and reaches out to him. He takes her hand. Her gaze drifts to the tray with food. “Oh, you're sweet,” She whispers, her voice barely over a hush.

 

“What is going on?” Cisco asks. Where do you go when you leave? Why are you so sad?

 

“Nothing,” She assures him. “Nothing.”

 

* * *

 

He finds a clear creek in the woods and follows it. He takes off his shoes and socks; stepping into the water even though it is still freezing cold. But the sun shines warm through the leaves above and he wants to feel the water rushing against his calves.

 

While he is wading up the stream he thinks about the strange man. He told Cisco that he had to get back to his camp as soon as possible but he couldn't walk with the injury. He had to wait until it healed at least partially. Cisco wonders if he is still around or if he already went his way despite the pain.

 

When his feet feel like they are about to freeze off he steps out of the water. He takes a wide circle back to the base, trusting his sense of direction and shoes still dangling over his shoulders.

 

Somehow he finds his way back to that clearing. He hovers at the edge, uncertain, until the man looks up and sees him.

 

“You,” He states.

 

Cisco doesn't answer, just trails closer to watch what he is doing. He is sitting on the ground and carving at a long thin stick. After a while he puts the knife away and pulls at a string he has fastened at one end of the stick.

 

When it's bend the bow doesn't look half bad. Cisco kneels down and reaches out for it to take a closer look. The man hands it over with an amused expression. “Where did you learn this?” Cisco asks. He pulls at the string.

 

“My father taught me,” The man says but he sounds distracted. Cisco looks away from the bow and follows his gaze to the exposed skin where Cisco still has his pants rolled up to his knees. The man doesn't look scared. More like fascinated.

 

“How?” He asks.

 

Cisco shrugs, focusing back on the bow. “I survived.”

 

“No one survives,” The man says, bitterness seeping through his voice.

 

“I did,” Cisco replies. He looks down at the dark scars, hair falling in front of his face. Usually he doesn't even notice them anymore. They are so much a part of him.

 

“Anyway, this is useless,” The man says and takes the bow out of Cisco's hands. “I'd have to find the right material for arrows but I think if I get up again today I'm going to pass out.”

 

At _right material_ he waves with a specific branch he had lying next to him. Cisco looks at it before standing up.

 

“Okay, bye?” The man calls after him.

 

Cisco returns with an arm full of branches and throws them on the ground in front of the man. “There you go.”

 

The man laughs, throwing back his head to expose the long line of his neck.

 

They sharpen the branches into arrows. It takes them a while and then they take turns shooting at the trees surrounding them. The sun starts disappearing behind the trees.

 

Cisco stands. “I have to get back. Tess is going to worry.”

 

The man stills. “She your friend?”

 

Cisco nods.

 

“You're from that old military base, right?” He asks. “Up the mountain.”

 

Cisco nods again, shifting from one foot to the other.

 

“What's your name?”

 

“Cisco.”

 

“I'm Harry.”

 

* * *

 

It's a quiet night. Cisco leans against the wall next to Wally. They are holding their rifles loosely in their hands, prepared but not really expecting any trouble. Cisco enjoys his shifts with Wally. An easy silence stretches between them, only interrupted by the sounds of animals outside.

 

Wally seems lost in his own head tonight.

 

“What are you thinking about?” Cisco asks. He doesn't mind the silence, prefers it actually. That is what he likes most about shifts with Wally, not that there are any others. The other guards don't want to work with him. But he is curious, too.

 

Wally startles slightly. He throws Cisco a glance before focusing back on the rifle in his hands. “My sister,” He says.

 

Cisco frowns, questioning.

 

“She- -” Wally hesitates. “We got lost. We had to get out of the city. It kept getting worse and worse. Y'know the ruins of that place. There's still something inside it. So we had to get away. But I lost her.”

 

“Oh,” Cisco says softly.

 

“I know she's still somewhere out there,” Wally says. “I just wish I could be there for her. After all we've been through.” He lets out a quiet laugh. “She always told me that she is my big sister and that she's supposed to take care of me. But I never saw it that way. We took care of each other.”

 

Before Cisco can think of something to say a whistle drifts through the air. It's the warning sound the guards use to signalize that there is trouble. Cisco and Wally both grab their rifles tighter. It doesn't take long and one of the guards from the wall comes down the stairs to them.

 

“We can't really see anything,” She says. “But we thinks it's one person.”

 

“Let's check it out,” Wally says.

 

The three of them exit the base through a small door at the far end of the wall. The moon is their only light, turning them into walking shadows.

 

Up ahead there is another shadow moving. For a second it looks more animal than human. Cisco clutches his rifle tightly. Wally gestures for them to stay on course while he takes a wide round away from the wall to get to the other side of the person.

 

And it is a person after all. When they have them surrounded the clouds break open and the moon floods them in silver light. Everything seems muted to Cisco, even the sound of their steps and their breathing.

 

It's a man. He points his gun at Cisco and the other guard. There is a moment where Cisco sees his eyes widen when he realizes that Wally is behind him. Than he crumbles to the ground, the gunshot almost following after.

 

“Wait,” Cisco yells.

 

Wally looks at him over the dead body.

 

“Wait,” Cisco says quietly. “He wasn't- He wasn't sick.”

 

“So what?” The guard asks.

 

* * *

 

“I know you're stealing medical supplies, you know,” Hartley says while taking yet another blood sample. Cisco thinks they must be able to line these walls with all the samples they have taken from him.

 

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Cisco says.

 

Hartley rolls his eyes and presses a band-aid on the wound. Cisco holds it up to his face. It got bunny's on it.

 

“Cute,” He says. “Why don't you tell Gideon about it if you think I'm stealing?”

 

“Well, you're not taking off with pain meds so you're not doing to to get high,” Hartley says, putting the vile with Cisco's blood in a freezer. “Do you have any new complaints? Pain?”

 

“I'm having a lot of headaches lately,” Cisco says.

 

“Ha,” Hartley replies. “Very funny. I'm trying to help.”

 

“Yeah, I'm serious, too,” Cisco says. He can't remember when it started but since a couple of weeks he's having headaches regularly. It keeps him from sleeping and sometimes he can't even stand up.

 

Before he leaves he turns to Hartley and says, “I'm just building a med kit. In case anything happens while I'm outside.”

 

Hartley nods but Cisco isn't sure if he believes him.

 

* * *

 

When Harry can walk again he teaches Cisco how to use the bow. Not that Cisco needs teaching. It's pretty self-explanatory, he tells Harry. Harry only huffs out a breath and corrects his footing. He shows Cisco a tree he is supposed to hit, a good thirty feet away.

 

Cisco draws the bow, resting the arrow against his fingers. Harry is standing behind him. With a hand he guides Cisco's elbow higher, corrects his aim; his touch light as a feather.

 

“Now,” Harry says and Cisco can feel his breath against his neck.

 

He doesn't hit the tree. At all.

 

“Not so easy after all,” Harry comments.

 

“Or maybe it's a shitty bow,” Cisco says, feeling a grin tug at his lips.

 

* * *

 

Much later Cisco asks Wally about it.

 

“What if the guy needed help?”

 

“Then he wouldn't have been sneaking around in the middle of the night,” Is Wally's answer.

 

There is something defensive in Wally's voice and a casualness Cisco doesn't understand. Wally seems to see Cisco's confusion because he sighs, expression softening, and explains, “Look, Cisco. You haven't been here long. The sickness isn't the only danger here.”

 

“I don't understand,” Cisco says.

 

Wally runs a hand over his face. “Okay, look at it like this. This is a great place. Sure, it's no paradise but we're safe. We have the spring supplying us with fresh water. We're protected from the weather. A lot of people would kill to live here.”

 

“But- -” Cisco tries to wrap his head around it. “I mean you took Tess and me in.”

 

“Yeah, we're taking almost everyone in who asks nicely. But not everyone does.” Wally laughs but there is no joy behind it. “And not everyone wants to share this place with us.”

 

It feels like he is talking about a specific person but Cisco doesn't ask. He doesn't want to think about the implications.

 

* * *

 

Tess gets in a fight with Gideon. Cisco hears them argue as he is about to enter their room. He hesitates and before he can decide what to do the door flies open and Gideon storms out. Her usual put together appearance is gone. Her cheeks are flushed and she doesn't spare Cisco a glance.

 

He finds Tess in a similar state. Her anger settles into the hard lines of her back.

 

“I don't want to talk about it,” She says before Cisco can even ask.

 

Cisco shrugs. He doesn't pry.

 

* * *

 

Spring turns to summer and Harry's leg heals. But he never leaves. Cisco doesn't ask why, scared that his questions might disrupt their careful balance.

 

He tells Harry about the fight between Tess and Gideon. He tells Harry a lot in general. But Harry always listens like he's interested so Cisco doesn't see the need to stop.

 

“Did you ever ask her what is going on?” Harry asks now.

 

“Tess? Yes, but she wouldn't tell me.” Cisco picks a few blades of grass from the ground where they are sitting.

 

“Maybe you should try to find out another way,” Harry suggests. “It does affect you, too, after all.”

 

* * *

 

The mountain base is self-organized. It's small enough that they decided they don't need a leader. Everyone has their tasks and a say in the important decisions. They lead a simple life so there aren't many important decisions.

 

Everyone knows Gideon. All administrative duties fall to her. She is the one who coordinates everyone. It's a thankless job but it comes with a certain amount of control that Gideon seems to need.

 

Cisco walks over to her office and drops of a bowl of berries he collected in the woods.

 

“I got them checked,” He tells her.

 

“Oh, I thought you were going to poison me,” Gideon says, straightfaced. Cisco has probably seen her crack a smile at most two times since he met her. “Thank you,” She adds, something like sincerity lingering around her eyes.

 

He plops down in a chair next to her desk. She is shuffling around a few papers.

 

“Ask me,” She says.

 

“Why don't you like Tess?” He asks.

 

Gideon looks at him. “She didn't tell you.” She shakes her head. “I think you should ask her about it. It's only fair that she gets the chance to explain it to you.”

 

“Did she do something to you?” Cisco asks.

 

Gideon laughs, hollow. “Yes. She ruined my life.”

 

“Why do you let us stay here then?” Cisco asks. Theoretically it isn't Gideon's decision who is allowed to stay on the base. But she has enough influence that she could get them kicked out.

 

“I'm not- -” She swallows. “I don't think it's the time for vengeance. And Tess payed enough for her sins.”

 

* * *

 

Cisco comes from a night shift at the wall to go hunting with Harry. They use the early hours of the morning to spot a deer, brown fur almost disappearing in the tall grass of a meadow. This time Cisco's arrow hits its goal. Harry clamps his hand around the back of Cisco's neck with a victorious smile.

 

They drag the animal into the shade to prepare later. They are at the side of a deep river. They lay down in the grass, the sun steadily climbing over their heads and bird songs filling the air. Cisco can't stop smiling. He knows Harry is watching him.

 

Harry touches him for the first time then. Running a hand over his side and chest, through his hair, stroking a thumb over the skin under his eye. Cisco closes his eyes, heart jumping inside his chest. Harry's mouth finds his and Cisco brings up his hands to hold onto him.

 

Cisco shivers when Harry's hands find his skin. He feels like he is slowly catching on fire. It's never been like this. There have been other people, situations born out of convenience. But with Harry it's different. It is as if something deep inside Cisco responds to him. Cisco sighs into Harry's mouth. They are moving together slowly, lazily. Cisco realizes that he has wanted this for a while now.

 

When Cisco returns to his senses Harry is leaving blooming bruises down his chest. Cisco drags Harry into the river, laughing freely. The water is warm and the current not too strong. There is a branch of a tree that is hanging into the water and Harry holds him against it so that he can keep kissing him. Cisco feels dizzy under the attention.

 

* * *

 

The issue of Tess keeps nagging at Cisco's mind; just like what happened at that one shift with Wally. Most of the time he doesn't think about it but it keeps coming back to haunt him. Usually he is of the opinion that too much dwelling on things isn't a good thing, it's a thing that gets you killed. But this time he cannot let go of it.

 

So he follows Tess one day. She doesn't follow the road down the mountains like Cisco expected. Instead she climbs a small trail that leads further up where nothing grows anymore. Cisco stays behind, hiding out of sight behind boulders until there is only the gray rock under their feet. But Tess never looks behind her back, just steadily climbs onward as if she is in some sort of trance.

 

It takes them a few hours to reach the top of the mountains. Cisco follows the rise of the sun as it is beating down on them mercilessly. Tess stops. Cisco stops, too, unsure what to do. They have left the trail long ago but Tess always seemed to know where she had to go. Now she is standing still, staring down on something on the ground. She is swaying lightly in the wind that roars over the cliffs.

 

When she doesn't move for minutes Cisco walks up to her. He comes to stand within arms reach of her. It seems she didn't hear him coming because she still doesn't turn around. Cisco has to brush his hair out of his face, the wind tearing at him. At first he sees the flowers. Not the kind that can be seen up here, clinging to the last bit of dirt. Bright yellow sunflowers, tucked almost gently under a stone so they stay in place.

 

Cisco doesn't have a lot of experience with graves. Most of the time the dead are just left to rot, at the utmost carded away somewhere away from settlements. The risk of infection is too high to properly bury anyone. But this is a grave, Cisco realizes. A tiny gathering of rocks. Flowers. No name. Just a woman here to mourn.

 

Maybe Cisco made a sound because Tess startles now, whipping around wide-eyed.

 

“Cisco” It sounds like an accusation.

 

Cisco is still staring at the rocks, thinking that it is too small to fit a whole person.

 

“What are you doing here?” Tess yells now.

 

“You didn't want to come to the base because of this?” Cisco asks. If she didn't want to be near it why is she spending so much time up here now?

 

Tess still looks angry, muscles tense like she is going to hit him. “No,” She says. “Yes. This, too.”

 

Cisco watches her and wonders what he would do if Tess would hit him. What he would do if she got sick and would try to hurt him. Or what he would if she wouldn't be sick but still trying to hurt him.

 

“Don't look at me like that,” Tess says, anger breaking into something more vulnerable.

 

“What happened to you?” Cisco asks.

 

“Nothing,” Tess says.

 

* * *

 

“I used to be married,” Tess says. “Can you imagine that?”

 

They are on the way down the mountain again.

 

“What happened?” Cisco asks.

 

“We grew apart. At the beginning.” Tess concentrates on the path before her. “But we had - - we had Jesse. Our little girl. So we stayed together. Even though I hated him even before - -” She stops herself, shakes her head. “No. When Jesse got sick it should have brought us closer together. But it didn't. Something inside of him broke. He made mistakes. And I let him.”

 

Cisco stays quiet. Thinks about the sunflowers on the top of the mountain.

 

“I never wanted to see him again. But of course he's here, too. Met him a couple of months ago up there. But he hasn't shown himself since.”

 

“But that's not the only reason you didn't want to come here?” Cisco asks.

 

“You're clever, Cisco,” Tess says, smiling sadly. “You might have noticed that people around here don't like me all that much.”

 

“Some don't,” Cisco says, thinking about the defeat in Gideon's voice.

 

“Do you know where the outbreak started?” Tess changes the subject.

 

“The sickness?” Cisco asks confused. “Where I come from.” He remembers those ruins, he remembers the noises that came from there in the night.

 

“Gideon used to work for me,” Tess says, as if she read his thoughts. Cisco's head starts spinning. He feels that she is talking around something, as if she is describing the outline of something large and monstrous that he can't see it yet.

 

“I didn't tell you- -” She stops walking. “I didn't tell you because I didn't want to lose you.”

 

“What didn't you tell me?” Cisco asks or at least he thinks he is asking it.

 

“It's my fault,” Tess says. “All of it. It's my fault.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Cisco fights himself out of dreams and Harry's arm, rolling away from the sticky warmth, unbearable in the summer morning. Harry reflexively tugs at Cisco but stays asleep. Even now he seems tense and Cisco traces the lines on his face with his finger.

 

Harry grumbles and bats his hand away.

 

After his conversation with Tess yesterday it had felt like the walls of the base had tried to choke Cisco. Maybe he is hiding out here with Harry. Maybe he should return and face the truth that Tess is not who he thought she is.

 

Harry pulls at his hair and Cisco bites his hand. But Harry seems to have waken up fully by now and rolls them until he got Cisco pinned to the ground.

 

“Morning, sunshine,” Harry says and kisses the corner of his mouth.

 

Cisco slips his arms around Harry's neck and pulls him in for a deeper kiss.

 

* * *

 

He is still no match for Sara but there is no harm in trying Cisco tells himself. They spar from time to time, just for the fun of it.

 

“You know, it suits you,” Sara breathes out, dodging his punch.

 

“What?” Cisco asks, reeling.

 

“That smile that you've been wearing lately,” Sara says with a grin.

 

Cisco tackles her but she uses his momentum to throw him over her shoulder. He tries to roll away but she already has a knee on his chest.

 

“You got a sweetheart, Cisco?” She pokes at his neck where he couldn't keep Harry from leaving a bruise.

 

He feels his face grow hot and he tries to throw her off. No chance.

 

“Congratulations,” Sara says, laughing. She pats his cheek. “That's on lucky person if you ask me.”

 

“No one asked you,” Cisco mutters and gets up when she lets him go. He can't quite fight down the smile on his face.

 

* * *

 

He hears the woman before he enters the clearing. She is talking quickly, too quiet for Cisco to make out what she is saying. Harry is listening to her but he seems angry.

 

“We cannot wait any longer,” Cisco hears her saying before they notice him. She is beautiful, brown skin and short dark hair.

 

“Go now,” Harry tells her without looking away from Cisco. She seems angry but complies.

 

“What is going on?” Cisco asks. Harry walks over to him, taking his face between his hands. “Are you leaving?” Cisco asks.

 

“No,” Harry says, a smile tugging at his lips. “I'm not leaving, Cisco.”

 

The gunshot echoes between the trees. It takes Cisco a while to understand what is happening but then Harry's whole weight is on him. Over Harry's shoulder he can see the young woman leveling her gun. Then she turns around and leaves.

 

Harry leans heavily on him, groaning against his shoulder. Cisco feels for the wound until he finds the blood pouring out of Harry's right shoulder blade.

 

“Shit,” Cisco breathes.

 

Harry growls again and then forces out a laugh. “I don't suppose you know how to take out a bullet?”

 

Cisco's thoughts are racing.

 

* * *

 

Cisco glances into the med room and let's out a sigh of relief when he finds only Hartley. It had been difficult enough to get Harry into the base without anyone noticing. Thankfully it's late evening and most people are in the cafeteria or their rooms.

 

Cisco signals for Harry to wait. He looks too pale as he leans against the wall.

 

Hartley startles when Cisco enters the room.

 

“I need your help,” Cisco says.

 

“Okay,” Hartley says. Then his eyes land on Cisco's bloodied hands. “Where are you bleeding?”

 

“It's not mine,” Cisco says in a low voice. “Please. You have to trust me. There is no other way. He needs help quickly.”

 

He shuffles Harry inside and locks the door behind them. Hartley takes a few steps back.

 

“Who the fuck- - Cisco?”

 

“He's not infected,” Cisco says quickly. Not yet at least. “But he's hurt.”

 

He motions for Harry to turn around. Cisco had pulled his jacket around Harry's shoulder to stop the bleeding but it's already soaked through with blood.

 

Hartley hesitates for a moment, obviously struggling with what to do. “Sit,” He says then and grabs a few things from the counter.

 

Cisco sits next to Harry, holding his hand while Hartley works. Harry has his eyes closed and teeth clenched, holding onto Cisco so tight it hurts.

 

Cisco feels a dull pain starting to form in the front of his brain and a wave of nausea hits him.

 

“The wound won't kill you,” Hartley says when he is finished. Cisco follows him to the sink where Hartley takes off his gloves and washes his hands.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You know how quickly bullet wounds get infected?” Hartley asks but it's not really a question. He looks down at the bullet he pulled out of Harry's shoulder. “This one looks like it's been recycled. Quickest way to catch the virus.”

 

Cisco can do nothing but stare at Hartley. There are black dots dancing in his vision.

 

“We have to wait and see,” Hartley says, his voice a softer tone. “He can stay here for the night.”

 

“Is there nothing we can do?” Cisco asks.

 

Hartley looks over to Harry, again debating with himself. “Maybe. I'm not sure,” He adds quickly when he sees Cisco eyes light up. “Okay, everyone thinks I'm insane but I know what might cure it.”

 

“What?”

 

“You,” Hartley says. “You survived the sickness. There has to be something in you that makes you naturally immune. I've been trying to find it.”

 

“You have to help him,” Cisco urges him again.

 

Hartley holds up a hand. “Let's see if he really needs it first. I'm still not sure if I'm on the right track. If we have no choice we can try it. But I'd rather not accidentally kill him if he's not even infected.”

 

Cisco nods and returns to Harry's side. Hartley leaves them alone after a last glance.

 

Harry is lying on his side on the stretcher. “You're full of surprises,” He says, voice rough.

 

Cisco sits down on a chair next to the stretcher and feels Harry's forehead. He is burning up. “You heard all that?”

 

Harry nods.

 

“Don't you dare leave me,” Cisco whisper. “Don't you fucking dare.”

 

* * *

 

At some point through the night Cisco leaves Harry's side. He stumbles through the corridor with its dim emergency lights. He doesn't feel good and he doesn't know why. Maybe exhaustion. His head is spinning and he has trouble staying upright. His plan is to sneak into the kitchen for some food even though the thought of it makes his stomach churn.

 

He has one hand at the wall to guide him. His vision goes blurry. Suddenly it feels like the concrete under his feet is gone, his boots sinking deeper into the ground as if he is walking over sand. He blinks a couple of times and the blurriness disappears. Instead there are images layering over the corridor he is walking through. Ghosts walk past him. He hears distant voices. Lights flash, illuminating shapes that shouldn't be there.

 

Cisco raises his hand in front of him, walking forward, prepared to hit one of the illusions around him. But he walks right through them. It gets harder and harder to move. He can't tell right and left apart. Loud, strange noises fill his head. He slumps to the ground, crawling until he finds the concrete wall. He covers his head with arms.

 

* * *

 

He doesn't know how much time passes. Maybe minutes. Maybe hours. The noises fade. So do the visions. He gets up, his knees still feeling wobbly. All thoughts of food forgotten he makes his way back to Harry. He needs to check on him. He shouldn't have left.

 

When he gets to the room the door is slightly ajar. There is a pain raging through his head that makes it hard to think. He pushes the door open.

 

The body lies completely still.

 

For a quick horrifying second he thinks it's Harry.

 

He stumbles into the room and realizes it's Hartley. Lying on the ground. Motionless.

 

“Cisco?” A voice comes from behind him. “Where have you- - Oh god.”

 

The bullet wound is a small red dot on Hartley's forehead. Cisco grabs onto one of the tables. The room is a mess, papers flying around and broken glass everywhere. Harry isn't here anymore.

 

“Talk to me,” Tess says, rounding Cisco so she can force him to look at her. “What happened?”

 

“I didn't- -” Cisco wishes he would be more naive. He wishes he didn't see what happened clearly in front of him as if he was there to witness it. He remembers the gun in Harry's holster well. There is no point in lying to himself.

 

“Get the guards,” Tess says when he doesn't reply. “Quick. I'll go talk to Gideon.” She holds him back for a last question. “How many?”

 

“One,” Cisco says. He hopes he's right.

 

Then Tess pushes him out of the room. On the way outside the sirens start blaring. Everything is suddenly red and it takes Cisco a moment to realize he's not seeing things again. Outside at the wall he is met by Wally and a few other guards.

 

“What's going on?” Wally asks.

 

There is no time to think. “An intruder,” Cisco says. “Hartley is dead.”

 

Hartley is dead. Because of him.

 

Wally takes charge of the guards. They shuffle around Cisco who feels frozen still. He shakes himself out of it and follows them inside. He has no weapon. He doesn't know what he's supposed to do.

 

He loses sight of the guards. He rounds a corner and there is Wally. He isn't alone.

 

It's the woman from the woods. The woman who shot Harry. The woman who is probably working with Harry.

 

“What are you doing here?” Wally sounds broken.

 

The woman glares at Cisco and then looks back to Wally. “It's not too late, little brother. You should join us while you still can.”

 

“Iris, I don't understand. Where have you been?”

 

“After you left he came for us. All of us who where still living in the ruins.” There is an excited gleam in her eyes. “We're special, Wally. All of us who got vaccinated. You must have noticed it. We're stronger.”

 

“Why?”

 

“We still get infected but the disease doesn't kill us. Just makes us stronger. Strong as the sick. But better. We're the future, Wally.”

 

Cisco seizes her up. She still holds the gun loosely at her side. The question is how much ammunition she got left. He inches towards Wally.

 

“He did this to us,” Wally says. “Why are you with him? He did this to us.”

 

“And now he's making up for it,” Iris insists. “Together we are strong. Together we can build a new home. We can protect each other.”

 

“Against who?” Wally asks, disgust lacing his voice. “Against the disease? Or against other people?”

 

“Wally, I love you. I'm not going to hurt you.” She sounds sincere. “We're just trying to survive. Like everyone. We look out for each other. Don't we?”

 

Wally backs away from her and Cisco grabs his arm to drag him further.

 

“I'm sorry, sis.” Wally has tears in his eyes. “I'm sorry.”

 

Iris doesn't follow them. They run until they are out of breath.

 

“I need to help the others,” Wally says, grabbing Cisco by the shoulders. “If she's right- - If they are stronger than us- - God, I don't know what- - Pack your stuff, Cisco. Maybe we need to get out of here quickly.”

 

He leaves Cisco standing there. Cisco is still trying to catch his breath. He looks around. Finds himself in a part of the mountain he has never seen before. Silence and then- -

 

An arm around his throat.

 

He almost relaxes into Harry's grip. Fights hard instead. But Harry is too strong. And then there is a cold barrel of a gun pressed against his temple.

 

Harry shushes him.

 

“Don't be stupid, Cisco.”

 

Cisco falls quiet, hands still clutching the arm around his throat. He has trouble breathing. Colors shooting through his vision.

 

“I would have asked you to come with me,” Harry says. “But it turns out you're more of a problem than I thought.”

 

“Let him go, Harrison.”

 

Cisco isn't sure if he imagines Tess standing there.

 

“Sorry, can't do that.” Harry's voice isn't taunting. Almost regretful. “If he's really a cure he endangers all my plans.”

 

“Because a cure would make your child soldiers weak again?” Tess' voice is ice cold. “This is a new low even for you.”

 

“We're all just trying to survive,” Harry says. The cold metal presses harder against Cisco's skin.

 

“How can you do this? After all that we did? Didn't we already cause enough destruction?”

 

“There isn't only destruction, Tess.” Harry sounds as urgent as Iris did. “Have you seen those children? There stronger. Better than us. They are the future. We made something incredible.”

 

Only then Cisco understands. Understands the awful familiarity between Harry and Tess. His hands start shaking.

 

“What did you do to him?” Tess asks.

 

“Oh, I think he enjoyed it just as much,” Harry breathes against Cisco's ear.

 

Shame coils around his guts like a snake. “No,” He whimpers, tearing at Harry's arm again. “I didn't know - - Tess- -”

 

“I'm sorry, Cisco. I can't let you live.”

 

There is an impact. It's not a bullet in his head, at least he doesn't think so. The arm around his neck loosens and he stumbles forward. Pain shoots through him nonetheless. He can't stop his fall.

 

The ground comes closer.

 

It fills his vision.

 

He is still falling.

 

 

 

Falling.

 

 

 

 

He lands in soft grass. His whole body aches but it's more like an afterthought. He feels detached from his body like he is floating above everything.

 

Slowly he runs his fingers through the grass, digs them in the earth beneath. There is a blue sky spanning above him. Trees filled with red dots; big, juicy apples.

 

He is lying in an orchard.

 

“Huh. Where did you come from?” Cisco knows that voice. And he knows the face that is leaning over him now.

 

He scrambles up and away from the person.

 

“Hey, calm down,” The man says.

 

The man that looks exactly like him. Not exactly, Cisco notes as he looks him over. But they could be twins.

 

“How did I get here?” Cisco asks. He looks around again, panic starting to rise up his throat.

 

“Don't ask me,” The man says with a smile and a shrug. “I was just chilling when you fell down here. Weird. I thought I kept this place private from you others. Not that I don't mind sharing but sometimes I need a quiet zone, you get me,” The man rambles on.

 

“What are you talking about?” Cisco asks, rising to his feet.

 

“Ohhhh,” The man says, realization dawning on his face. “Newbie.” He jumps to his feet and stretches out his hand. “I'm Penta, nice to meet you and this is going to be really weird but hang in there.”

 

Cisco looks at the offered hand suspiciously. There is a book lying to Penta's feet that he must have dropped there. He is wearing a gray shirt over gray pants and his hair is carefully braided to one side. This person isn't a fighter Cisco realizes. He relaxes gradually.

 

Then he realizes something else.

 

He hit his head. He fell and hit his head. Really bad obviously.

 

“So, um- -” Penta takes his hand back. “What's your deal, Francisco?”

 

“What? Who is Francisco?”

 

“You, obviously. And me. But I go by another name mostly.”

 

“No, my name is Cisco,” Cisco says.

 

“Yeah, and that's short for Francisco. Francisco Ramon.” Penta furrows his brows.

 

“I don't know,” Cisco says. “I don't remember my full name.”

 

Penta's eyes widen fractionally but he doesn't comment on it. “So, what do you want to know? I can tell you everything. Taking from how confused you are you can't have your powers for that long.”

 

“Powers?” Cisco doesn't understand a word the other is saying. If he'd just know how to wake up. He remembers the gun pressed to his head with a painful jolt. The ground under them starts shaking, screaming birds flying out of the trees.

 

“Hey, careful there.” Penta makes a gesture with his hand and everything quiets again. “You don't need to be afraid,” He says with a soft voice. Cisco isn't sure if he could sound like that. “You're safe here.”

 

Penta slowly takes another step closer, raising one arm. Cisco feels himself shaking. He doesn't understand what Penta is doing until he gets pulled against him. Penta strokes a hand over his back and the pain fades. Cisco stands completely still. Penta's hair brushes against his cheek. It's soft. So much softer than his has ever been.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first actual zombies appear in this chapter. if you're here for zombies i'm sorry.

When Cisco wakes up they are halfway down the mountain. The sun is rising above the trees. His head is lying in Tess' lap.

 

“How do you feel?” She asks.

 

Cisco grunts, hands coming up to feel his head.

 

“You hit your head pretty bad,” Wally says. He is leaning against a tree, a rifle clutched in his hands. He looks nervous.

 

“How- - I- -”

 

Tess carefully pushes a strand of hair out of his face. “Wally saved our asses. You should thank him. He carried you all this way.”

 

“Tess- -” Cisco starts but she shushes him.

 

“You don't have to say anything.” She smiles sadly. “Just rest.”

 

The urge to let her warmth and calm lead him back into sleep is strong. But he can't. He shouldn't. He sits up.

 

“It's my fault,” He says. “I let him in.”

 

Wally doesn't look at him. Tess sighs and pulls her legs to her chest.

 

“You didn't mean for this to happen,” She says.

 

“I should have known.”

 

“You couldn't.” She takes his head, intertwining their fingers. “You couldn't.”

 

* * *

 

They trek down the road for hours. The concrete is broken, grass and flowers blooming out of the cracks. Wally hasn't spoken for days. He has his rifle carelessly slung over his shoulder, walking at a fast pace. Tess walks a few feet behind them, eyes wandering over the landscape. Cisco keeps throwing her glances but she seems caught up in her own world. Her black hair has gotten longer and she borrows Cisco hair ties now.

 

The late summer sun makes everything appear peaceful.

 

With a startling clarity Cisco remembers the dream he had. He tries to push it to the back of his mind but the image of the stranger with Cisco's face keeps coming back to him.

 

They have no plan, not really. Except of course the plan is to survive. As usual.

 

* * *

 

Even in his dreams Cisco is still walking. An endless desert, white hot sand under his feet. Tess once told him that a dream that seemed to last a lifetime can happen in a second. The walking never ends.

 

Someone rips open the sky. Cisco looks up to the figure towering over him, larger than anything he has ever seen.

 

“Dude, what are you doing here?”

 

Cisco gets scooped up into broad hands with fingers like trees.

 

“You wanna come along?” Penta asks him when they are the same height again. “It's not far from here.”

 

Cisco didn't catch where Penta is going but he follows him anyway. He doesn't want to be left behind in the unformed space they are standing in.

 

They are walking down a stair. Concrete. No handrail. They are in a tower of some kind, large as a building. Cisco looks up. There is no roof, clouds passing over the small open square up high. There are more stairs, criss-crossing the tower and there are people on those stairs, walking at different speeds, in groups or alone, passing each other, appearing and disappearing again in different openings in the wall. They are too far away for Cisco to make out details.

 

“This is kind of our shortcut,” Penta explains as he hops down the stairs in front of Cisco. “Don't try to understand it. That's probably best for anything you see here. You just gotta roll with it.”

 

Someone calls Penta from a stair that is closer to theirs than the others. They exchange a few words and Cisco balls his hands into fists. Another doppelganger.

 

“Who's your stray there?” The man asks. He wears a headpiece that is streaked with intricate golden patterns. Something about the way he speaks is weird, as if he is speaking another language that Cisco has never heard even though Cisco understands every word.

 

“Eh, I'm just showing him around.” Penta shrugs.

 

“How gracious of the great Penta.” The voice seems to come out of thin air. It takes Cisco a while before he notices the light tremor in the air behind the the other man. The faint outlines of another person.

 

“Oh, go fuck yourself, Your Highness.” Penta's laughter carries through the tower. “I don't see you going around playing teacher either.”

 

“Please, leave the politics to the people who really care,” The visible man speaks up again. A light tremor runs through the ground and walls. “Ah, our cue. We have to go. Take care, Penta.” He nods to Cisco. “You too.”

 

He sprints up the stairs while the voice follows him, proclaiming: “I don't know why I ever help you with anything.”

 

“Sorry about that.” Penta turns to Cisco. “They get a bit - - excited.”

 

“This isn't real.” A thought Cisco had the whole time but now he feels like it needs saying. This is just a dream. A very weird, fucked up dream.

 

Penta watches him for a moment. “Depends on what you call real.”

 

“I'm just dreaming this.”

 

“Well, yes. You are.” Penta sits down on the stairs and motions for Cisco to do the same. “But in your dreams you can enter this space. As can all other Cisco's in the different universes.”

 

“That's - - What does that even mean?” Cisco asks.

 

Penta sighs. “Look, I'm not really good at this explaining thing.” He seems to collect his thoughts, eyes closed and brows furrowed. “Okay. Let's try this. I don't know what world you come from. I don't know your life. But haven't you always been special in some way?” He searches Cisco's eyes as if he can find the answer to his question there. Maybe he can.

 

Cisco wants to say no. He isn't special. But he knows that's not completely true. “I'm different,” He settles on saying.

 

Penta reaches his hand out for him but Cisco flinches away. Penta backs away again, folding his hands in his lap. “Is it so hard to believe that you are capable of fantastic things? Of things you could never dream of?”

 

“Why?”

 

“I don't know. Some of us had something happen to us. Some of us were born with this power. But we all have it Cisco, in some form or the other.”

 

“Where are we?” Cisco question is more self-protection than acknowledgment that he believes Penta's words.

 

“Somewhere out of time and space. Some say this is the place where our powers come from but,” Penta shakes his head. “I don't believe so.”

 

“So, you're like an alien?”

 

A smile spreads slowly over Penta's face.

 

* * *

 

They find a settlement. Just a few people in a ghost town who don't mind the extra muscle. Life boils down to the basics. Eat. Sleep. Fight. It's good. It keeps Cisco from thinking. About what happened at the mountain base. Or about his weird dreams.

 

Some nights when he is alone with Tess in their room she tells him stories.

 

“She got sick. And she wasn't even three years old. It was something new, a mutated form of cholera or ebola, I don't remember. It was aggressive. Untreatable. We tried everything. Hell, we owned the best scientific institution in the country. We worked with the brightest minds of a generation. Maybe we would have found a cure. Maybe. With time. But it was quick. They said it was painless but I'm not stupid. Harrison closed off, he - - He didn't talk anymore. At least not to me. When I found out what he did. Well, it was too late. He gotten obsessed with finding a cure. Even though it wouldn't help her anymore. He had taken samples from the virus. Played around with it. Made it into something completely new. When I confronted him about it he said he didn't want anyone else to go through what we had experienced. But he didn't make a cure. He made something awful.

 

Sometimes I think he just wanted to see the world burn.

 

Or maybe he really was trying to help. Find a cure. I don't know. It's been a long time since I understood him.

 

Of course the virus got out. Murphy's law. He should have thought abo- - maybe he did. I had been working feverishly on an antidote with some of our scientists. Gideon was one of them. We found a vaccine but nothing to help the people who were already infected. So, we vaccinated as many children as we could. And- -

 

I still remember the sirens. They were so loud. Like there was an air raid. The government had given up on Central City. Damage control. Sealed up the city. But it was already too late by then. The virus too aggressive, too quick. I know that they tried to burn the city down but they- - the air - - the virus mutated, spread through the air. Everyone who came even close to the city died in minutes. We're lucky the mutated version never made it past city limits.

 

At first I fled to the mountain base with Harrison. It was still in the hand of the military back then and they would take in anyone who could pay enough. We took Jess with us. It was just a month after the funeral. We buried her again. And this time the whole world with her. After that there was nothing keeping Harrison and me together.”

 

* * *

 

He finds Wally sitting on a stone wall, beating down on a piece of wood with a knife.

 

“Hey, what did the wood ever do to you?” Cisco asks as he sits down next to him.

 

“It's called carving,” Wally says through gritted teeth.

 

Cisco hums and brushes their shoulder together. Wally stops abusing the wood to glare at Cisco.

 

“You can't annoy me into a good mood, you know.” But Wally seems already a bit more relaxed.

 

“Not at all what I'm trying to do,” Cisco says. “You want to go on a walk?”

 

Wally agrees. They follow a trail around the dead town. On one side houses, on the other corn fields. The autumn sun burns on Cisco's face. Wally rarely talks about finding his sister, and losing her so quickly again. Cisco doesn't know if he should pry. He watches him now, the way he watches Tess, too. Secretly. Worried.

 

They had found relative safety inside the mountain base and Cisco had destroyed all that.

 

The scar on Wally's face looks even deeper than usual or maybe it's just a shadow.

 

They don't hear them coming.

 

Two people, barely recognizable. The sickness has burned away most of their skin. There is a hand reaching out of a ditch next to the trail, closing around Cisco's ankle and pulling him down. He sees how the other person climbs out of the ditch towards Wally.

 

Of course they have their weapons. His attacker is on him but he pulls a knife out of his belt and sinks it into the wet flesh of their throat. He cuts and rips until the head rolls to the side, barely attached to body anymore.

 

He pushes the body off of him. It's quiet. Too quiet. He gets up and back on the road.

 

Wally is lying on the ground, his attacker next to him just as motionless. Cisco is at Wally's side in seconds. Searching for injuries. Cradling his face between his hands.

 

Then Wally eyes fly open. He coughs and his hand comes up to clutch at the back of his head.

 

“Ow.”

 

Cisco tells himself to breathe. To calm down.

 

“Hey, man. I'm okay.” Wally is gripping his arms now. “I'm okay. Nothing happened.”

 

 _Nothing happened._ Wally holds him there on the dirt road and Cisco cries for the first time in years.

 

* * *

 

“This is not working,” Cisco yells.

 

“Just - - try harder,” Penta yells back.

 

Cisco lets his hands sink. The door in front of him unmoving. He feels stupid. Why should he be able to open the door with his mind?

 

“Maybe I just don't have those powers.” He sees Penta throw up his hands in the distance. Cisco has to grin. Penta is really not a patient teacher.

 

Penta gives up on his safety distance and joins him at the door. “It's not about powers. I told you. You can influence this space. You did so before. You just do it subconsciously. I mean, you blew this door in my face that one time. I can remember it very clearly.”

 

“You made me angry,” Cisco tries to defend himself.

 

Penta sighs dramatically and lets the wall and door disappear with a wave of his hand. “Let's stop for today.”

 

“How did you learn?” He asks Penta as the walk along a hallway.

 

“I'm trained in something similar in my world. It's all about the energy flow.”

 

“Sounds weird.”

 

“Yeah, I guess my life is pretty weird.” Penta opens a door.

 

The room behind it is lined with wooden panels and bookshelves. There are high windows filtering in fuzzy light. Penta flings himself on one of the leather couches.

 

“What's your world like?” Cisco asks as he walks along the bookshelves, running a finger over the spines.

 

“I can show you.” Penta pats on the couch next to him. Cisco follows the invitation after a beat.

 

Penta stretches out his hands, palms turned upwards. After a moment of hesitation Cisco lies his hands on top of them. Penta holds them in a soft grip.

 

Then the space around them widens, opens up until there is only sky. Cisco is drifting through clouds, underneath him oceans and land and woods and cities. And people. So many people. He falls slowly down towards a city he recognizes though it was in ruins the last time he saw it. But this city is still intact and bustling with life. He glides past people going about their life, a life he distantly remembers once having lived too.

 

Then he sees another place and something tugs at him, a shadow of an emotion, some connection to the large brick building surrounded by woods. He realizes that it must be Penta's emotions, that this place has played a role in his life. He sees strange things there. The hallways feel claustrophobic and dark but the courtyard is wide and filled with the laughter of children.

 

Then there is a flash of a cave, lit by candles and people wearing dark blue robes. A face that is not only familiar to Penta but to Cisco, too. But he can't place it because they are already gone.

 

Then they are back in the city. Cisco sees a small house. He sees an underground market. He sees a kettle on a stove. He sees the orange glow of the streetlights. He sees Wally, and now he recognizes him, without the scar and older in a warmly lit lounge. He sees his sister, Iris, behind a desk with a sly smile on her face and a glint in her eyes. He sees other people, too, but he doesn't recognize them.

 

And under it all a beat like a drumming heart. The wind in the trees. The cries of the birds. The softness of the moss. The rushing of water through rivers and the veins of plants. The roar of the sun. All coming together to form a song that resonates somewhere deep inside Cisco.

 

When Cisco is back in his body he is panting, toppled over. Penta is still holding his hands. Cisco straightens up and looks at him. “You can do magic?”

 

Penta closes his eyes. “It's not- -”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Cisco squeezes his hands. “I felt it.”

 

Penta looks at him considering. “Can I- -?”

 

Cisco knows what he wants to ask. Has known that he was going to ask it when he suggested this. He nods.

 

Penta closes his eyes. Cisco does feel some kind of pull or rush of something but this time he stays in his body. He watches as the line between Penta's eyebrows deepens as he watches Cisco's world.

 

Cisco doesn't know what he had expected but not for Penta to say nothing when he comes back. He looks angry in a way Cisco hasn't seen him before. He lets go of Cisco's hands

 

“Did you see what you wanted to see?” Cisco asks. Not that he wants Penta's pity.

 

Penta looks scary when he is angry. “You shouldn't have to live through that.”

 

Cisco ducks his head.

 

“Where were you parents?”

 

“They left me. When I got sick.”

 

“Wow. At least my parents gave me to a school. That feels almost charitable in comparison.”

 

Cisco glances at Penta. “Why are you so angry?”

 

Penta stands up, curling and uncurling his fists. “I don't know.” He opens his mouth a couple of times but closes it again. Then his face softens again. “You shouldn't have to live through that.”

 

* * *

 

Cisco is still not convinced that his dreams aren't just that: Dreams. But there is a certain feeling that follows him out of them. Some sort of connection. He can feel it tugging at his insides like a string that leads someplace else. He doesn't have a lot of time to think about it. But he gets used to it. This feeling that there is more. That he is more.

 

Wally, Tess and Cisco stick together. Over time they fall into a certain rhythm. They don't stay anywhere too long. Move around the country as if they are being chased by something.

 

Surprisingly Cisco is the one who picks them up again. Who decides where to go. Who hauls Tess back out of her mind. Who stops Wally from taking stupid risks. He doesn't know where he takes the energy from. Or why they listen to him.

 

They stumble upon the first one two years later. Cisco knows that they can't be too close to where it happened but the woman has the marks that indicate her as one of the vaccinated children. She says she has left the city shortly after the outbreak. She doesn't like to talk about it too much. Her name is Cynthia.

 

Cisco has a feeling that this is important, that she is important. Or maybe it just brings back old memories. Tess is already pushing her around and feeding her before Cisco can ask her if she wants to come with them.

 

“I'd ask if she's your mother if there were any resemblance,” Cynthia says to Cisco that first day.

 

Cisco had never seen Tess as a mother figure. She would have been a bad excuse of one. But she didn't try to be so it was okay. She had been there when Cisco needed her, weirdly pushy and distant and guilt-ridden. It had been enough.

 

* * *

 

Maybe Cynthia really was a reminder of what happened at the mountain base, maybe not, but that night Cisco tells Penta the whole story. They are sitting in the grass on a hill overlooking a valley. He even lets Penta pull his head on his lap and run gentle fingers through his hair. It does ease the sting.

 

He has gotten into the habit of telling Penta a lot. Almost everything. From everyday thoughts to his past. He thinks he has never talked this much in his whole life. But Penta always listens carefully and asks the right questions and never complains.

 

“You always tell me that Tess blames herself unnecessarily,” Penta says later. “But so do you.”

 

Cisco looks away, concentrating on Penta's fingers scraping over his scalp and tries to believe him.

 

“Come on, tell me some of your problems so I can forget about mine,” Cisco says much later.

 

“Mmh. I don't do boy drama.” Penta flicks his nose.

 

“Excuse me, that wasn't just boy drama.” He catches Penta's hand before he can flick him again.

 

“Come on.” Penta laughs but not in a mean way. “It was mostly boy drama.”

 

“So, you're not into boy drama- -” Cisco asks slowly.

 

“Oh, I'm into boys. Exclusively.” Penta say quickly. “Just not the drama. I think. I don't know. I didn't really have any until now.”

 

Cisco hides his smile behind his arm. “Am I smelling an identity crisis?”

 

“Fuck off,” Penta pushes him out of his lap. “This is so lame. You don't want to hear this.”

 

“Please entertain me with your trivial problems so I can ignore my real adult problems.” Cisco rolls his eyes.

 

“You're such a dick. Who raised you? A pack of wolves?”

 

“I wish.” Sometimes Cisco thinks it shouldn't be so easy to joke around about this. But with Penta everything is easier. “So, boy drama- -” He prompts again.

 

Penta leans back on his arms. “I don't know. I just don't think about it. And when I think about it I get confused and that's annoying.”

 

Cisco rolls on his side and props up his head up on one hand.

 

“I think I should want it - - you know.” Penta waves with his hand. “A relationship. All the other stuff. But I don't? I think?” He scrunches up his nose. “It's confusing. You're so different.” He prods Cisco with his foot. “You always have things figured out. You know the answers. Maybe not the right ones though you definitely think you do- -”

 

“Hey,” Cisco warns him. “So you never had- -”

 

“Oh my god.” Penta rolls his eyes like he is above all that. “No. Yes. I did. One time. But-”

 

“But what?”

 

“It was under special circumstances so - - I don't know.” Penta avoids his gaze.

 

“You can't lead with that and not tell me what happened.” Cisco sits up. “You know whatever weird stuff you're involved in I have only respect for you.”

 

“You don't act like it.” Penta clicks his tongue. “No respect for your elder.”

 

Cisco tries to get back on topic. “I mean. Was it good? Did you enjoy it? I just want to help you figure this out.”

 

Penta sighs so deep it must be coming from his bones. “I don't know. It was - - I was - - not really - - in a state of mind to - - It was in a ritual, okay. Are you happy now?”

 

Cisco bites on his lip so he doesn't say anything stupid.

 

“I do remember it as a good thing.” Penta – subconsciously – touches the tattoo around his eye. “I wasn't taken advantage of. I consented. And it was about more than that. You wouldn't understand.”

 

“Your nature thing.”

 

A smile creeps on Penta's lips. “You know you're lucky you're pretty. But yes- My nature thing. It was a way of - - offering myself. I believe we all act as agents of the energies that surround us. The universe – nature – gives us so much. I want to make sure that I give back as much as I can. That was a way of symbolizing that. Of making my intentions tangible.”

 

Cisco thinks about it. Not that he really understands what Penta means but he can feel his passion. How important this is to him.

 

“So, you want to say your lover is nature.”

 

“You're literally the worst,” Penta says and pushes him down the hill.

 

* * *

 

More and more Cisco can feel Penta in the days too. It's just a flash of emotions or an image that doesn't belong to him. He doesn't want to talk to Penta about it because it would be weird. But he hasn't thought about the possibility that the connection goes both ways. Or that Penta would be better at using it.

 

At the end of a particularly bad day, one that involved a lot of blood and sweat and the relentless hunger for safety, Cisco bandages Wally's leg when he smells something weird. He looks around but there is nothing than the shack they had found shelter in and his exhausted friends. But slowly the picture of a field rises in his mind, an ocean of violet flowers and the feeling of hands on his shoulders.

 

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. The smell of the flowers and the warmth radiating from those hands slowly untangle his twisted nerves.

 

He has no doubt in his mind who he has to thank for that.

 

“Are you okay?” Wally asks.

 

Cisco nods.

 

Later that night Penta looks like he is going to hug Cisco so he quickly sits down in one of the lawn chairs.

 

“You're broadcasting your distress very loudly,” Penta says and throws a pebble into the empty pool.

 

“To everyone?” Cisco asks.

 

“No, just to me.” Another pebble. “I hate that I can't help you.”

 

“You do,” Cisco says quietly. “Thank you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did penta send cisco a mental potpourri? well yes he did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look who crawled up from beneath their no writing mood. i skipped a lot of time for this chapter but i needed to finish this story or this would have gone on forever.

Their journey leads them to a lake cradled in hills. Wally stretches out on the rocky beach, eyes closed and face more serene than in years. It had taken them a lot of sacrifices to come here.

 

Tess has her hands on her hips, surveying the landscape. “I like this. Good vantage point.”

 

“I think there are fish,” Cisco points out.

 

Cynthia is only a few days behind them with the children. They didn't move as fast so they decided that the three of them would scout the area to look for a safe place. They couldn't stay on the move with the children. And they couldn't abandon them either.

 

Cisco closes his eyes against the chilly breeze that drifts in over the lake. For the first time he lets himself feel what happened in the desert city. He lets himself grief. For Harrison. For himself. It doesn't wreck him like he thought it would.

 

There is a hand on his back. “We all did what we had to do,” Tess says. She doesn't sound quite as sure as Cisco would like her to be.

 

* * *

 

“I got you!” Leo giggles while Cisco throws him over his shoulder. “You don't get out on dish washing duty.”

 

“I don't wanna.” Leo kicks him in the guts until Cisco raises him in the air far away from him. It's strange to look at this boy, fragile bones and scarred skin. Cisco hasn't looked like this in a long time but he still remembers it well; his lost youth.

 

“Will you tell me the story again?” Leo asks as he lets himself be tugged back to the main house.

 

“You were there, Leo. I don't know why I have to keep telling you about it?”

 

Leo looks at him with wide brilliant eyes. To them Cisco is a hero. Maybe even something more, something he doesn't know how to live up to.

 

“Okay, okay.” Cisco sighs. “There once was a small boy who could never sit still and never did what he was told to do.”

 

Leo pokes his tongue out at him.

 

“He was a very special boy,” Cisco continues. There is a howl in the distance, maybe a coyote, and Leo tightens his grip on Cisco's hand as the sun fades behind the mountain tops. “He was special because he survived. But there were bad people who wanted to use him. They took him away from his home and brought him into a big desert, for miles and miles only sand. And there were other children like him. They were special, too, and he was happy that he wasn't alone anymore.”

 

“But if the other children were special, too, doesn't that mean none of them were special?” Leo asks.

 

They reach the main house and Cisco ushers him inside. Cynthia and Wally are cleaning up the rest of the dinner. Manila is washing dishes, standing on a stool to reach the make shift sink.

 

“No,” Cisco says and puts a rag into Leo's hand. “They were all special in their own different way.”

 

“Is he making you tell you the story again?” Cynthia asks, chuckling softly.

 

Manila hands Leo a dripping plate and looks at Cisco with something like sadness. She is a bit older than the rest of them and Cisco thinks she understands more of what really happened there.

 

“I want to hear the rest,” Leo pouts and wipes at the plate without any enthusiasm.

 

“So the bad people had stolen all the children- -” Cisco begins again.

 

“What did the bad people want to do with the children?” Manila asks. She is starting to sound like a woman.

 

Cisco hesitates. He never found out what exactly Harrison had planned. He only knew that he had found more people like Cisco. People who survived the sickness. They had all been young. Maybe it had something to do with the power, tugging inside of Cisco to be let out, that seems to be shining inside the children's eyes from time to time as well. But Cisco isn't sure if Harrison ever realized that they were more than pawns in his game.

 

“They wanted to turn them all into jelly,” Cynthia says and Leo giggles again. Manila doesn't say anything but Cisco knows that they'll have to tell her more soon.

 

“But where there are bad people there are always good people,” Cynthia continues, hooking her chin over Cisco's shoulder from behind. “And they came to rescue the children like fucking bad-ass warriors.”

 

Leo nods. “Fucking bad-ass.”

 

“Hey, language,” Wally yells from across the room.

 

* * *

 

“How's your new place coming along?” Penta asks.

 

Penta looks tired but Cisco doesn't ask. Since Penta broke off his timeline and it set in a different place he has changed. Not much. But there is an exhaustion creeping into Penta's voice that hadn't been there before. Just another reason for Cisco to hate Harrison Wells.

 

“I can show you if you help me,” Cisco offers.

 

Penta smiles and reaches out for his hand. Cisco still hasn't got the hang of his powers; neither in the waking world or in this mind space. But he doesn't mind as much anymore. He lets Penta pull the image out of his head and shape it into their surroundings.

 

“Nice,” Penta yells, running down the soft hill in direction of the water. “A lake. I love lakes.”

 

Penta follows slower. When he reaches the shore Penta is already thrashing through the water, clothes strewn over the rocks.

 

“Come on, loser,” Penta yells and splashes water in his direction.

 

Cisco follows with a smile.

 

After they have thoroughly exhausted themselves they lay down in the grass to dry. Cisco closes his eyes and lets the sun warm him up. He cracks one eye open and notices Penta looking.

 

“You're staring.”

 

“Yeah, dude. You're ripped. I didn't even know our body could do that.”

 

Cisco feels a flush creeping up his cheeks at the approval in Penta's voice. He looks down his own body, haggard and hard, the product of malnourishment and war. The scars have faded with age but they are still there, marking him as touched by sickness. Penta is all softness and smooth skin. He looks healthy.

 

“Now you're staring.” Penta tears out some grass and throws it at Cisco.

 

“You mind?” Cisco asks and feels a balance shift between them.

 

Penta raises one eyebrow and leans back on his arms. “No,” He says, challenge in his voice.

 

* * *

 

A lot of good things survive the end of the world. Music does. Wally is in the backseat strumming a guitar he found on the road. It's probably not in tune but none of them have a comparison for that anyway. Cisco taps the rhythm on the steering wheel. Tess looks out of the window on the passing landscape.

 

They are on their way back from a near settlement they visit to trade. It's easier since they found enough gas for the car. The sun is starting to delve behind the treeline. The air is crisp, autumn approaching quickly.

 

Looking back Cisco should have realized it was too peaceful for this area. They are driving along a cliff, deep woods on one side, clear air on the other. There used to be road once, but now it's mostly dirt and gravel.

 

Then there is a horde in front of the car. Cisco thinks about just driving right through them but there are too many. He swerves to the side of the trees. They jump at the car, clinging to the hood and the sides. Cisco curses. Tess pulls out here gun and lets down the window on her side.

 

“If they trash my guitar, I swear to god- -” Wally complains and kicks one of them in the face that is trying to crawl through a broken window.

 

There are more in front of them. This looks like a whole town got freshly infected. Cisco didn't know they were still so many people around these parts of the country. He has to drive closer to edge of the cliff if he doesn't want to get stuck in a pile of meat.

 

The window next to him cracks and then there is a hand scratching at his neck. The car rolls over the edge.

 

It doesn't go straight into free fall. There is a steep incline before the mountain brakes off. The car spins and skids downwards. Tess is already through the door while Cisco still tries the breaks. They don't help at all. Wally is cursing, tucking his guitar under his arm before he jumps outside. Cisco gets his door open and jumps just before the car slides of the side of the mountain. His hands catch the edge. He dangles over a good mile of air while his eyes follow the fall of the car and the sunset burns up the horizon.

 

What follows is a loud crash, an impact that makes the earth shake. Cisco digs his fingers into the rock, trying to find purchase with his feet. There are at least fifty infected people up there, he has to help his friends. But the mountain side is hard and unforgiving. His fingers start to slip.

 

“Hey there, friend,” A familiar voice echoes above him. Cisco looks up. Penta's head pokes over the edge. He is grinning from ear to ear. “Can I lend you a hand?”

 

When Penta has pulled him up the cliff Cisco gets to his feet and takes in his surroundings. Tess and Wally stand a few feet away from them, staring at them with wide eyes. Where there used to be a road filled with infected people there is - - just more mountain.

 

“Guess I saved your bacon,” Penta says.

 

Cisco turns to him. “Did you drop a mountain on them?”

 

Penta shrugs. “That's all I could come up with. I had to act- --”

 

Cisco interrupts him with a hug. He pulls him into his arms and holds him tight. Penta melts against him, holding him just as tight. Some part of Cisco still can't believe Penta is really here, but he can feel his hair against his cheek, and the warmth he radiates, and his chest moving with his breath. This is real. So much realer than any hug they shared in their dreams where everything feels just this side of detached. Here Cisco can tell he smells like lemons and something that must be uniquely Penta. Cisco never wants to let go again.

 

When they do finally step away from each other there are tears running down Penta's face. Cisco leaves his hands on his shoulders.

 

“God, that was long overdue,” Penta says with a shaky laugh, rubbing a hand over his face.

 

“You're here. You're actually here.” Cisco looks him over. “You said- - Your timeline- -”

 

“Yeah, I didn't fuck it up so bad after all.” Penta smiles. “I'm just a few years ahead. About eight I'd guess.”

 

It's hard to see in the dim light but Penta does look older. Cisco couldn't care less as long as he is here.

 

Wally clears his throat. “Can someone please fill me in what the hell is going on? Did I just really see a fucking mountain fall from the sky?”

 

Cisco turns to him then looks back at Penta who looks at him expectantly. “So, this might sound wild,” He starts.

 

“I'm him from another universe,” Penta interrupts him.

 

“Woah, way to ease them into it,” Cisco says. “You're really bad at this.”

 

“You must be Tess,” Penta says. “I heard much about you. And your you on my earth. Though I never got to meet her.”

 

“Yeah, I heard about you, too,” Tess says, who still has her hand on her gun. “Good to see that you're not just a crack in Cisco's mind.”

 

“Hey, I thought you believed me?” Cisco says. Tess support had meant a lot to him.

 

“I do now.”

 

“I feel like my brain is cracking right now,” Wally says. “Anyway, we need to get going. We shouldn't get stuck in the woods in the night.”

 

“Oh, I can help with that,” Penta says cheerfully. “If Cisco shows me where you want to go.”

 

He holds out his hand for Cisco. He takes it with a smile.

 

Wally eyes the portal critically before stepping into the blue swirling mass. Tess is bolder, acting like she does this everyday. Cisco feels his heart beating faster too, after all he hasn't done this before either, but Penta squeezes his hand reassuringly.

 

Back at the camp the children instantly claim Penta. He accepts it with the heavy sigh of the chosen one. They try to climb into his lap, pull his hair, ask millions of questions. Cisco watches from some distance, still in disbelieve that this is happening.

 

Wally comes to stand next to him, watching Penta as well. After a moment he says, “Now I understand why you never seem to have interest in anyone.”

 

Cisco narrows his eyes but doesn't argue. Not like it isn't true.

 

“It's kinda weird,” Wally continues. “But you've always been weird, weirdo. It's your charm.”

 

“Thanks, I guess,” Cisco replies.

 

Later that night everyone who is still awake huddles around the campfire leaving Cisco and Penta alone at the tables at the edge of the light. Cisco sits with his back to the table, stretching out his legs. Penta sits close to him and the light of the fire dances over his face.

 

“I like them,” Penta says, motioning to the group at the fire.

 

Cisco traces the lines on his face with his eyes. It's weird to see Penta so much older. He still looks like himself. His hair is still long, maybe even longer. Cisco tugs at a wayward strand that falls over Penta's back. “You're not going to know about this, right?”

 

“In our place?” Penta says as if he means just the two of them and not a multiverse full of Cisco Ramon's. “No. Not yet. And you're not going to tell me.”

 

“So you know my future.”

 

Penta hides his grin against his shoulder. “I do.”

 

“No spoilers?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Cisco feels his heart flutter in his chest. He feels light in the way he only does with Penta. Until today there had been a tiny part of him that hadn't believed Penta truly exists even though he feels their connection tugging on him like a string on a kite. But now he is here; visibly, truly, earthshakingly real.

 

“You make me happy, you know.” Cisco says, mirroring Penta's smile.

 

Penta stills, mouth slightly open. Their arms brush against each other. Penta's eyes seem almost black in the enclosing darkness of the night. Then Penta leans over and presses his lips against Cisco's.

 

Cisco doesn't move, just closes his eyes. There is a hand settling against his neck and Penta strokes a thumb over his cheek. When Penta leans back again he leaves his hand there. He searches Cisco's face as if he is looking for a reaction. Cisco feels dazed. All he can do is smile stupidly and run his fingertips over the hair that falls over Penta's chest.

 

“I can say you do quite the same,” Penta says finally. His gaze falls back to Cisco's lips and Cisco can hardly piece together what Penta meant with those words.

 

Penta kisses him again, more forceful this time.

 

“You don't have to,” Cisco says between kisses. “I'd never ask you-”

 

“I want to-” Penta breathes against his lips.

 

Cisco sink his hands into Penta's hair, sucking his lower lip into his mouth. He feels Penta run his hands over his shoulders, down his chest, pulling him closer against his own body. Cisco lets Penta take the lead, opening his mouth to Penta's prodding tongue as he feels a fire ignite inside himself.

 

Penta feels as right as he always imagined he would. It feels like Penta is breathing life back into him. And Cisco takes it all greedily, soaks in every gasp and tiny moan, how Penta licks slow and deep into his mouth, the way his own heart pounds against his ribs, how Penta clings to him as he is sure he clings to Penta. He is splayed open for Penta's taking.

 

If this is as good as it gets Cisco is content.

 

“Just - - one thing,” Penta mutters and slips a hand under Cisco's shirt, stroking over Cisco's abs.

 

“Your obsession with that, man,” Cisco laughs, forehead pressed against Penta's.

 

“Don't we all have our obsessions.” Penta flips his hair over his shoulder.

 

Cisco presses another kiss to the corner of Penta's mouth. And then another. He could get lost in this warmth.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe one day i will write about what has happened in the desert city or about the finite amounts of dates cisco and penta go on. thanks for sticking around!


End file.
